Swansea City backed to eye Leyton Orient transfer if Vipotnik goes as Kyogo talk dismissed | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea fan pundit does feel that Zan Vipotnik should be sold, but doesn't believe that Kyogo Furuhashi is the answer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

There arguably hasn't been a more impressive striker in the Championship this season than Swansea City's Zan Vipotnik.

The Slovenian leads the second-tier scoring charts and has already more than doubled the seven goals he scored in 42 games during his debut campaign in South Wales.

Evidently, Vitor Matos and Swansea are gearing up for serious transfer interest in the summer from top-flight sides, with Premier League outfit West Ham just one of the sides linked with the 23-year-old throughout January.

Vipotnik is the latest in a long line of impressive strikers that have graced the Swansea.com Stadium since the Swans returned to the second tier in 2018, with Andre Ayew, Oli McBurnie and Joel Piroe being let go, the latter two for big fees to Premier League clubs.

Swansea City fan pundit rebuffs Kyogo Furuhashi as Zan Vipotnik's replacement

FLW's Swansea fan pundit, Will Hughes, welcomes the idea of a big-money sale this summer for Vipotnik, but if it does materialise, they'll need a suitable replacement.

Birmingham City's Kyogo Furuhashi was of interest in January, but a move didn't happen for the 31-year-old due to high wage demands. The fan pundit believes that this stumbling block will once again stop a switch from being made in the summer.

"I think it's a certainty that Vipotnik will leave, and I'll get onto that more later. Regarding Kyogo, I don't think the club will explore a move," Hughes said.

"There was a rumour in January, but I don't see it happening permanently for a striker in his thirties who hasn't scored many Championship goals and will be on ridiculous money. So, I don't think that there'd be much financial gain with him.

"Obviously, we brought in Cameron Burgess (who is 30), but he was on a free, and if we're going to be bringing in older, experienced players, they'd need to be on low wages, or on a free transfer."

Hughes does feel that the Japanese star, who has struggled in the Championship thus far, has qualities that would suit manager Vitor Matos' style, but he urges Swansea to perhaps look at someone a little younger with a higher ceiling than the 31-year-old, if Vipotnik were to leave.

"Kyogo's quick, leads the press well and is sharp in the box, all qualities that would work in a Vitor Matos team, but I'd rather us go for someone like Dom Ballard from Leyton Orient. Younger, in his early 20s, has 15 goals in League One," he explained.

"He could be a risk, as he hasn't played in the Championship, but he has a lot of qualities that would fit in a Matos team. So for me, he's my number one, and if we didn't get him, I'd assume we'd look at the foreign markets for a potential asset."

Swansea City fan pundit urges Zan Vipotnik sale and to avoid making similar Nathan Wood, Michael Obafemi mistakes

It's evident that Vipotnik's market value is the highest it's ever been, and with stats that have him scoring a high volume of his chances from a lower shot count, there's every chance that his output may decrease next season.

Therefore, Hughes has demanded that his side strike while the iron is hot, and look to cash in on the Slovenian at the next possible moment.

"I'd be disappointed if the club didn't sell him, as it's unlikely we'd get more than £10 - £12 million anyway," he said. "We've made countless mistakes like this before. You look at Nathan Wood and Michael Obafemi, we had big offers for them that we rejected, before then eventually selling on for a fraction of the price.

"I think the club will make a sale this summer, and we'll let go of one of our main assets, but I think out of all of them, Vipotnik would be the easiest to replace.

"I know, people will think it's crazy to say, as he's the top scorer, but you look at [Goncalo] Franco and [Ethan] Galbraith, from a team aspect, it would be harder to replace them. Franco has endless stamina and is a leader on the pitch, and Galbraith is one of the most versatile players I've ever watched, and I think he's getting better and better."

Hughes feels that, even if Vipotnik ended the campaign as the Championship's top scorer, replacing him with someone who has more to his game than goalscoring could benefit the rest of the Swansea team, especially if they can recoup an eight-figure fee for him.

"Let's say Vipotnik ended up with 25 goals this season, and we replaced him in the summer with Ballard," he hypothesised. "He may get half the goals, but I feel that his actions up front, potential run-ins behind and high pressing, could create more scoring opportunities for others.

"I think back to that Swansea team that got promoted in 2011. Scott Sinclair was the top scorer, but Darren Pratley was behind him in double digits. Nathan Dyer and Joe Allen chipped in with a few goals. We may lose our top scorer, but think about what we could do to improve the team with the money we got!

"If we got another striker, got Adam Idah firing, maybe another winger, Leo Walta could chip in, too. So I don't think that it'd be all doom and gloom, should Vipotnik leave."

Swansea City fan pundit feels that the club will be okay if Zan Vipotnik departs

Hughes would go on to say that he feels Swansea have had better strikers come and go during their time in the Championship, and they've been able to sell for profit and improve off the back of it.

"I do think we've lost better players, and I'll stress players, not just goalscorers, and we have gone on to be okay," he concluded.

"The likes of Joel Piroe, Oli McBurnie, Andre Ayew, Dan James, all of those we're better than him, albeit some in different positions, and we've gone on to be okay after they left. I don't think it will be the end of the world.

"I do hope he keeps banging them in, as that means we'll get more money for him, but that's my stance on that."

Evidently, Swansea have been able to cash in on some high-scoring frontmen in the past couple of years, and while they've reinvested, it hasn't resulted in a play-off finish in a while, with this season set to be the fifth in a row that the Swans have finished outside the top six, barring a miraculous late-season run.

If the club does recoup a sizeable fee for Vipotnik this summer, Swansea fans will be hoping that it'll result in a more complete, play-off challenging squad being constructed for next season.